The present invention relates to a holster and more particularly to a handgun holster with an internal retention device for securely latching a handgun in the holster until its removal is desired by the holster wearer.
Handgun users, particularly those people engaged in law enforcement, require a holster in which a handgun remains securely held until intentionally removed by the holster wearer. The holster must retain the handgun securely during not only the normal movements of the wearer, but also during more vigorous activity; possibly including physical contact such as when attempting to restrain another person or while being attacked by another person. But while the holster should resist unauthorized removal of the handgun, it should also permit rapid, safe and easy withdrawal of the handgun when its use is required by the holster wearer.
The recent popularity among law enforcement agencies and personnel of handguns having a striker-type firing mechanism presents a unique challenge to holster design. Striker-type handguns do not have external hammers. Consequently, conventional holster designs using an external retention strap to secure a handgun that employs an external hammer do not necessarily prevent a striker-type handgun from discharging unintentionally when holstered. This is because the retention strap, when secured across the top of a holstered handgun with an external hammer, will prevent the hammer from moving and, thus, will likely prevent the gun from discharging, but when the strap is secured across the top of a hammerless handgun, discharge may still occur because the strap has no hammer to secure and, thus, does not operate to prevent the discharge.
Furthermore, handguns having a striker firing mechanism generally require a lesser force to pull the trigger and fire the weapon than is generally associated with many other types of law enforcement handguns. this lesser force, often combined with a shorter trigger stroke, contributes to the ease of intentional firing when needed and the possibility of unintentional firing when holstered.
Because striker-type handguns are being used more widely by law enforcement, holster design must evolve to better meet the needs of users of hammerless handguns. The vigorous activity engaged in by law enforcement officers, including close-quarter confrontation with suspects, establishes the need for a holster design that can retain a hammerless handgun safely while both allowing the officer quick access to his weapon and minimizing the chance of inadvertent discharge when holstered.
Therefore, what is needed is a holster having an internally located retention device that accomplishes multiple functions for the user. First, it should permit a holstered handgun to be withdrawn in a natural motion by the holster wearer. Second, it should effectively resist unauthorized withdrawal of the handgun from the holster by another person. Third, it should protect the trigger area of the handgun from intrusion by objects, such as knives or other weapons that might be used against the officer, and by the fingers of a third person, either of which could cause the handgun to discharge while still holstered.
The present invention meets the design challenges presented by hammerless handguns by improving upon the retention systems utilized in previously available holsters by providing a handgun holster with an internal retention device which prevents the handgun from being removed from the holster until after a slight rotation of the gun about an axis generally parallel with the barrel of the handgun, and which further includes a restricted access to the trigger. A holster according to the invention has a body which includes outer and inner sides which are interconnected, possibly by a spacer or similar interconnecting structure, to define the rear portion of an upwardly open or openable pocket for receiving a handgun including a trigger guard. A catch is attached to the outer side and projects within the pocket toward the inner side, the side closer to the holster wearer""s body. The catch is located where it will be engaged with the trigger guard when the handgun is fully holstered and is configured and mounted so that attempting simply to pull the handgun directly from the holster does not allow the trigger guard to pass the catch. A guide plate is close enough to the outer side to keep the trigger guard engaged with the catch, securing the handgun within the holster. The guide plate, however, is movable away from the end of the catch to provide clearance, at least as great as the lateral width of the trigger guard, for passage of the trigger guard past the catch to remove the handgun from the holster. The guide plate extends past the rear of the trigger of the handgun.
When a handgun is inserted into the holster, the guide plate is forced temporarily away from the end of the catch as the trigger guard moves past the end of the catch, and the trigger guard moves to extend around the catch as the handgun is seated in the holster.
Preferably, the catch is mounted on a mounting plate, which also extends past the rear of the trigger of the handgun.
By covering the trigger of the handgun with the guide plate, and optionally with the mounting plate as well, the trigger is covered so as to prevent a foreign object from coming into accidental contact with the trigger. In a preferred embodiment, the guide plate and mounting plate extend to the upper margin of the holster body.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.